WESTERN Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge says Tom Boyd will only be available for senior selection "when the vibe's right".
The million-dollar forward is serving a club suspension for a drunken fight with teammate Zaine Cordy.
Beveridge faced a large media pack at his weekly media conference and said the 20-year-old's unreliable shoulder was just as likely to keep him out of Saturday night's clash with Richmond as the indefinite suspension handed to him and Cordy.
When quizzed on whether the club was trying to cover up the altercation, Beveridge defended his comments regarding Boyd's availability over the past few weeks.
"There are two things running parallel at the moment, and I don't want go over (the statement) in regards to Tom and Zaine, but it's the shoulder," Beveridge said.
"So when I said that we've got to be sure with his shoulder, we've got to be sure.
"As far as any internal sanction goes, there's no set time limit on that. It's when the vibe's right, really, which isn't ideal.
"I can't actually tell you at this point in time whether he'll be available this week (because) that will be determined later in the week."
Beveridge said the penalty on Boyd and Cordy was a communal decision devised by the coaches, players and management, and the starting date for the suspension was a "grey" area because the players didn't totally cooperate once the incident came to light.
"During that time the boys were playing games, so you can probably say (the suspension) started whenever," he said.
"Tom was coming back from a shoulder injury, so it didn't matter, he wasn't going to play (seniors straight away).
"Is his penance partly served or is it the shoulder? It's all a bit grey."
"We don't regret for a second the way it was handled."
It looms as a very interesting match committee meeting for the Dogs' brains trust this week with Boyd impressing in the VFL in his return from the shoulder injury that hasn't seen him play senior footy since round four.
The high-priced recruit has kicked seven goals and taken several contested marks in his past two outings with Footscray.
His ability to play in the ruck - which has been a revolving door for the Dogs during Beveridge's tenure - is also a big plus in the coach's eyes.
While he's content with how the club has conducted itself during the scandal, Beveridge did concede he's been "concerned at different times" for Boyd's ability to cope with scrutiny that comes with signing a big-money deal at such a young age.
"In recent times you could imagine this has hit him pretty hard, through his volition, though," Beveridge said.
"But he's handled it pretty well, he's faced up to the consequences of his actions and he understands performance is the thing for us.
Tom Boyd attacks the ball ferociously in the VFL. Picture: AFL Media
"If he didn't get injured he would have been playing in (the seniors) and he established he's a really important cog in our 22.
"Medium to long-term, I'm really excited by what Tom offers and starts to establish himself as a figure in our game that is a force to be reckoned with."
